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Author Bill Clevlen, a 37-year-old freelance travel reporter, wrote the book "100 Things to Do in America Before you Die." He’ll greet people at Skyview Drive-In in Belleville from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 22, and the Breese Public Library will host a talk at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 24. snagy@bnd.com

Author Bill Clevlen, a 37-year-old freelance travel reporter, wrote the book "100 Things to Do in America Before you Die." He’ll greet people at Skyview Drive-In in Belleville from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 22, and the Breese Public Library will host a talk at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 24. snagy@bnd.com

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It’s a list of experiences, not just places. Clevlen kept the mindset of “What would an alien from outer space need to do to fully understand the American story?”

Looking out over the Grand Canyon isn’t enough, he argues. You have to ride a mule down into it. And taking a guided tour of the White House is way better than just driving by.

“You contact one of your senators and make a request and tell them the dates you’re going to be in town,” Clevlen said. “Tickets are scarce, but they’re free, and you can get one. I did it.”’

Bill Clevlen, author of “100 Things to Do in America Before You Die,” stands in front of the White House after going on a guided tour.

Provided

Clevlen will make two metro-east appearances this week to promote the book, as well as his KTRS radio segments, iTunes podcast, travel videos and blogs.

He’ll greet people at Skyview Drive-In in Belleville from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 22. (One of the book’s suggestion is seeing a drive-in movie.) Breese Public Library will host a talk at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 24.

“I try to have a couple authors a year at our little library,” said director Angie Chute. “Many people already know Bill’s name from the radio, and (travel is) a topic that attracts such a variety of ages and interests.”

The rest are on his bucket list. He hopes to see the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, for example.

Clevlen is reluctant to pick a favorite travel experience, but near the top is talking to a veteran in the lobby of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

“These guys essentially saved the world, but they’re so humble,” he said.

“The museum is probably one of the top three museums in the world. It’s just phenomenal. Somehow they figured out how to tell the entire story of World War II to people like me with short attention spans.”

The book lists one experience specific to St. Louis: Riding a tram to the top of the Gateway Arch.

Two others could happen in the city: Taking a Mississippi River cruise and seeing a show at a Fox theater. The only three left are in St. Louis, Detroit and Atlanta.

Other suggestions? Riding a cable car in San Francisco, viewing the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives and standing in the spot where the Wright Brothers tested their flying machine at Kitty Hawk.

“It was tough narrowing it down to 100 things,” said Clevlen, who couldn’t include all 50 states as originally hoped.

Many people already know Bill’s name from the radio, and (travel is) a topic that attracts such a variety of ages and interests.

Angie Chute on upcoming talk by Bill Clevlen

Clevlen grew up in St. Louis and attended high school in California before spending six months at a community college and deciding to get his higher education on the job, not in a classroom.

He operated a teleprompter at KMOV-TV in St. Louis and worked as a disc jockey at KEZK-FM radio, fooling late-night listeners into thinking he was much older than he sounded.

Eventually, Clevlen came up with the idea of trying to make a living by combining his love of broadcasting and travel.

He began roaming around the country, shooting video, interviewing people and posting Facebook reports under the title “Rediscover America.” In 2013, he created a website, Bill on the Road.

“I’m not an expert on anything,” he said. “I’m the everyday guy out exploring.”

Clevlen used to travel constantly, hitting 50 cities a year and setting foot in 38 states. But that got to be too much. Today, he limits each trip to two weeks with breaks in between.

He prefers driving his Hyundai Tucson SUV to flying because it allows him to stumble on cool places. Sometimes he trades website advertising for hotel stays.